Feed-guide for lithographic and other printing machines.



E. J. ROBERTS.

FEED GUIDE FOR LITHOGRAPHIO AND OTHER PRINTING MACHINES.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 11, 1913.

Patented Apr. 7, 1914.

INVENTORS EJROBERTZ -Vm49iu J H15 ATTORNEY 4 FEE.

ERNEST JAMES ROBERTS, OF CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND.

FEED-GUIDE FOR LITHOGBAPI-IIC AND OTHER PRINTING- MACHINES.

Application filed February 11, 1913.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 7, 1914:.

Serial No. 747,684.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST JAMns Roe ERTS, asubject of the King of Great Britain, residin at Christchurch, NewZealand, have inventd a new and useful Improved Feed- Guide forLithographic and other Printing Machines; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to the adjustable guides employed upon thefeeding boards of lithographic and other printing machines for thepurpose of guiding the sheets to be printed into the feeding rollersofthe machine.

The invention has been designed in order to provide a construction ofguide such as .may be quickly and accurately adjusted in position tosuit the varying widths of sheets and which when so adjusted may berigidly fixed from further movement.

The invention consists in forming the guide of two main parts, one beinga bearing fixed rigidly to the feeding board and having a hollow spindleinternally screw threaded mounted to rotate therein, and the other asliding frame mounted to slide across the feeding board and having ascrew on its back which fits into the threaded spindle so that by therotation of the spindle it may be moved in either direction, and havingmounted on its front end a vertically adjust able foot and a block,spring cushioned to be kept in engagement with the feeding board. Theadjustable foot is adapted to have the sheets edge passed beneath it soas to keep the sheet fiat upon the board, while the block is used toengage with the sheets edge and thereby aline it as required.

In fully describing the invention reference will be made to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of thewhole device in its assembled condition, Fig. 2 is a view of the bearingfixed upon the feed board. Fig. 3 is the regulating spindle. Fig. 4 is aview of the sliding member looking from the back thereof. Fig. 5 is afront elevation of such member. Fig. 6 is a back view of the adjustablefoot for mounting on the front of the sliding member. Fig. 7 is a frontview of the guideblock.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, A is the fixed bearing made in anyapproved manner such as to provide for the mounting of the internallyscrew threaded spindle B the top of the bearing and a front plate Eextending down in front of such bearing and the side wings F overlappingthe sides of the bearing. These side wings are formed with thelongitudinal slots f therein, which slots fit over pins or studs aprojecting from the sides of the bearing and thus serve to guide thesliding device and prevent it from any loose movement as it moves to andfro across the bearing. A long screw G projects from the back of thefront plate E and is screwed into the end of the spindle B and thus bythe rotation of this spindle, the sliding device may be moved in or outto any desired point. The means for looking it at any point are shown inFigs. 1 and 2 and consist of a wedge shaped block H mounted on a screw Hprojecting upward from the top of the hearing A and passing through aslot d (Fig. l) in the top plate D of the sliding device. A thumb nut his screwed on to this screw and serves to force the block H down toengage with the slot and thus lock the sliding device rigidly to thebearing.

Upon the front face of the plate E of the sliding device is mounted thevertically adjustable foot shown in Figs. 1 and 6. This foot is shaped,as shown, with a pair of flanges J extending outwardly from the bottomend of an upright portion J that is formed with slides that fit intoguides c (Fig. 5) upon the plate E. This foot is provided with a screw Kthat passes up through the top plate D of the sliding device and a nut Kis screwed on its top end so that by its manipulation the foot may beraised or lowered. The flanges J overlie the feeding board of themachine and by the adjustment of the foot their distance from thesurface of the table may be regulated. A. flat spring 76 is placed inbetween the top of the upright J and the top plate D of the slidingdevice in order thus to prevent any looseness in the positioning of thefoot.

The bottom of the upright J is cut away as shown in Fig. 6 and the edgesof the cut away portion are recessed as at M to receive the block N(Figs. 1 and 7 which is passed through from the back of the upright andis provided with the flanges N fitting into the recesses M. Theseflanges thus lie between the upright J and the face of the plate E and aspring 0 is placed in compression between the top of the block and thetop of the recess in the upright J so as to cause the block to fit harddown on to the feed board of the machine. A flat spring P is also placedbetween the block and the plate E which serves as a friction spring tohold the block from movement as the foot is being raised or lowered.Thus in the manipulation of the device the block N will engage the edgeof a sheet placed on the feed board and the edge of which is passedbeneath the flanges of the foot. These flanges will at the same timekeep the sheet flat upon the board and by reason of their adjustabilitymay be regulated to suit varying thicknesses. may be adjusted by movingthe sliding member across the bearing A by the rotation of the spindle Bin the manner already described. The block N is kept steady by means ofthe nose R upon the foot fitting into the groove n on the front face ofthe block.

If desired the bearing A may be provided with gage markings S (Fig. 2)on its surface and the top plate D of the sliding mem ber provided withtransparent plates S (Fig. 4) which will exhibit the gage markings Sthrough them and permit of a fixed line on such plates being caused tocoincide with anyone of such gage markings as may be desired, therebyallowing for the adjustment of the guide. If desired also the wedgeblock H may be made to project at its inner end as an index fingeradjacent to the hand wheel C of the actuating spindle B, which wheel isthen divided on its edge Copies of this patent may be obtained for Theposition of the block with divisional markings. This will permit of theadjustment of the guide by the rotation of the spindle. 7

What I do claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. In means for the purpose herein described a bearing fixed upon thefeed board, I

an internally threaded hollow spindle mounted to rotate in such bearing,a sliding member adapted to move over the bearing and having a screwfixed thereto and screwing into the hollow spindle, a foot plate carriedon the front of the sliding member and adjustable vertically thereon, arecess in the foot plate a guide block inserted in such recess, a springarranged between the top of the guide block and the top of the recess inthe foot plate and a spring plate arranged between the back of the guideblock and the front face of the sliding member, substantially asspecified.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

ERNEST JAMES ROBERTS.

lVitnesses ALFRED RICHARDSON Howsmnr, C. H. SToNYnR.

five cents each, by addressing the f Commissioner of Patents,Washington, D. C. l

